The next day had come, and the sun was just starting to raise, illuminating the surroundings.
"You sure you don't want to stay here at least until after the treaty is signed?" Rainer asked, looking at the three.
"No, we can't, I'm sorry." Ili responded. "We want to be way past Björn before the treaty is signed, in case anything goes wrong. Because if we don't, we'll probably be stuck here a few more months."
"Alright, I understand." Rainer responded calmly, with a friendly smile on his face. "Take care!"
"You too!" Ili smiled back, as the three took their farewell, waving back as they left the camp.
And so, they were once again on the road, through the tall grass, towards the East, and towards the Secluded Castle...
The snow in this area has melted for some time, letting the flowers grow back from beneath, covering the fields. The way was clear, as they continued down the hill, towards the main road that led to the East.
Not long after making it to the main road, the central tower of Björn started to be seen, hovering lonely in the sky, even above the ascending road. The tower was not like a normal tower, but as if someone carved a stone block from a mountain, and then built a city around it. It was devoid of any decorations, the only things visible on it being the dark slots cutting into the block, probably serving as windows, but without certainty of their purpose from such distance.
As they passed over the hill, Björn was completely in view, the massive, dark walls making their appearance, much larger than they seemed before. In front of the main gate, there was the army of kalzraaks. There were tens of thousands of soldiers, all standing in formation, the front line a good distance from the walls. From what Zephyr heard Rainer spoke, these weren't even a tenth of the kalzraak's army, but just a portion taken to the city gates for the signing of the treaty.
The kalzraaks were creatures around as tall as humans. They had horns resembling those of demons, sharp to the touch, no matter where you touched them, and bent in sharp, straight lines. Their faces were hidden by steel helmets, with animal hair tied to the backs, and small, dark and disproportionate holes in the front for sight. They wore heavy armor made of dark grey metals, with spikes on the right shoulder. In their right hands, they wore large, triangular shields, stretched towards the bottom corner. In their left hands, they had massive spears, with white pieces of cloth tied to the top, blown by the wind.
As they got closer to the city and the army, Zephyr stopped, catching Ili by the hand.
"I think it would be better if we went around from here."
Ili looked at him for a bit, but finally nodded. "Alright. You're right, it would probably be best. Come on, Vella!" Ili pulled her hand to the right, ready to leave the road again and get in the grass.
But then, with a quick move, she pushed Vella back, at a distance from her. At that moment, a circle of arrows fell around Ili in a circle, shot from the direction of the city. Zephyr immediately made a crystal knife, ready to fight.
"Don't." Ili said, gesturing for him to lower his hand. He looked at her for a bit, but finally did as she told him to, dropping the weapon. Looking at her, he noticed as Ili shifted her hand on her sword slightly, casting a quick spell to make it invisible.
It didn't take long for a group of equestrian bwovnine soldiers in heavy armor to surround them, with their spears raised. But just as they pointed their spears at Zephyr, a loud sound of thousands of metal weapons was hears, as the army of kalzraaks pointed their spears towards the soldiers. The bwovnines looked around, before lowering their weapons from Zephyr and Vella, closing in on Ililith.
A few soldiers dismounted, as other two, seeming higher up in the ranks, remained on their horses, stopping in front of Ili.
"She matches the description, commander." one of the mounted soldiers told the other, larger one.
The commander nodded, gazing at Ili.
"You're coming with us." he said coldly, as one of the other soldiers approached and put her to the ground, tying her up with a piece of rope.
Ili didn't oppose in any way. Even though she could take them down with ease, she knew better than to fight against city guards so close to the city.
"On what charges are you taking me? I didn't do anything," Ili said, raising her head from the ground to look at the commander.
The large man let out a laugh. "Oh, you did plenty! But that will be decided at the prison. For now, you're coming with us. Failure to comply will result in the death sentence. Do you understand?"
"Yes..."
"What are you doing? She didn't do anything! Let her go!" Zephyr screamed, recreating the crystal dagger.
The soldiers immediately unsheathed their swords, followed by the raising of the kalzraak weapons towards them once more.
"Zephyr, don't..." Ili said softly again.
He gritted his teeth, but finally let down the dagger.
The soldiers, not willing to risk fighting against the whole kalzraak army, let down their weapons as well, letting Zephyr free.
"Let's go!" the commander spoke commandingly, turning his horse around. Another soldier picked Ili up and put her on his horse, getting in the middle of the formation. "And cover her eyes with something. We can't take any chances…"
The soldiers got behind the commander in formation, and around the soldier who had Ili on his horse. That soldier then took out a piece of cloth, wrapping it around Ili's eyes, before leaving towards the city.
Zephyr turned to Vella, who was still on the ground, stunned by everything that happened. He gave her a hand, helping her get up.
"What happened? Why did they take Ili away?" Vella asked, frozen.
"I don't know..."
Zephyr looked in the direction of the city, seeing the soldiers disappear through the gates. "But I'm going to get her back."
Vella quickly nodded, a determined look on her face. "Yes, right! Let's go!"
Her determination was quickly extinguished as Zephyr placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "No. It's too dangerous for you to come as well. I will handle it on my own."
"But..."
"No buts. You can't fight, you're fragile, and you're a succubus. If they catch me, they'll probably throw me in prison. But if they catch you, you'll be executed. It's too dangerous for you to come. I want you to go back to Rainer's camp, and wait there until we come back, alright?"
Vella looked at the ground, a few tears in her eyes, knowing that he was right. But then, she quickly raised her head, feeling a hand patting her. She tried to look forward, but the sun reflected in her teary eyes, making everything just a blur.
"Hey, it will be alright, okay? Ili is really strong, and so am I. You don't need to worry about us. All I want is for you to be safe, alright? Can you do that?"
She closed her eyes, wiping the tears with her sleeve. When she opened her eyes again, she was finally able to see clearly. She saw something she didn't expect… a soft, warm smile.
Vella's breath caught in her throat, making her cough. Her cheeks were slightly red, and she felt a strange sensation in her chest.
"Alright..." she finally responded. "Be.. Be safe..."
Zephyr smiled gently, patting her once more on the head.
"You too. I'll see you again later, alright?"
Vella nodded, making a small wave with her hand, seeing Zephyr leaving, walking towards the city.
"Please be safe..." she whispered, seeing his form get smaller and smaller. She wiped the rest of her tears, before she finally turned around and headed back to the camp.
Some time after leaving the main road and getting back in the grass, Vella starts to feel a cold breeze. As she continues walking, the air continues to turn colder, despite the seemingly nice weather outside, to the point of her breath turning into a white vapor. She wraps her wings around her body, trying to keep herself warm, as the temperature dropped even further.
Snow fragments start to build on her body. Her vision starts to get blurry once again, her previous tears starting to freeze on her cheeks. She looks around, but sees the sun high up in the sky, without any clouds present in the atmosphere. Looking forward, she sees a white silhouette of a girl. The girl was wrapped in a white cloak, with a few strands of pure white hair seen from under her hood, taken by the wind.
"Ili...?" Vella feels the cold getting stronger, taking over her body, freezing her eyelids. "What are you doing here? I thought..." Vella feels her consciousness fading away because of the cold. "I thought you were..."
Her vision goes dark, and she feels her body losing balance. She finally falls on the ground, unconscious, ice slowly taking over her body.
"My lord, please, follow me. Right through this way! The kalzraaks are already waiting in the treaty room."
The imperial diplomat follows the servant, through the many halls of the Tower of Björn. He was followed closely by 5 Emperor's Blades, Bwovn's strongest soldiers.
At then end of the room, a large, golden door stood. The doors were opened by four servants, revealing the room in which the treaty would be signed. Despite the golden doors, the room seemed quite simple and straightforward, without any special decorations. It was an empty room, with a wooden podium at the end, with the treaty placed on it, next to a small glass with a writing feather in it. On the right side of the room, there were the higher ups and lords of Björn, sitting on chairs. Next to them, standing, was a row of bwovnine soldiers, with spears in their hands, waiting in formation.
On the left, there were the kalzraaks. Sitting on chairs were the leaders and chiefs of the previous gatherings of kalzraaks from all around the Iron Mountains, now under the same banner of Hyakuthen. On their left, a row of kalzraak soldiers, such as the ones outside, with spears in their hands, standing in formation.
The diplomat looked around the room, his eyes narrowing. "Where is he?"
The servant bowed his head, speaking into the diplomat's ear. "The Sangv'dhinaes hasn't arrived yet, my lord."
The diplomat's eyes narrowed further in annoyance. He smelled the air. "And what's with that damn smell? It reeks of blood in here."
Hollow footsteps are heard from the corridor, approaching the room. It was only one person, alone.
"It seems he's arrived, my lord." the servant spoke again, bowing before the newcomer. "It's really good to see you made it, San..."
The servant's words were cut by a sharp, deep word. "Silence,"
Complete silence befell the room. The servant closed his mouth, frozen in place in the bow. He felt as if his body would physically prevent him from saying anything else, even if he tried. That one, non-threatening word had been enough to make him want to run away as far as possible from that man... From the leader of the kalzraaks.... The Sangv'dhinaes.
The diplomat's expression falters slightly, but he soon regains his senses as the newcomer gets next to him. "You reek. Ever heard of washing yourself?"
"Let's proceed to the reason why we came here." the Sangv'dhinaes spoke, looking him in the eyes.
The diplomat froze, feeling a shiver run down his spine. The Emperor's Blades placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.
"Right... Let's go," the diplomat muttered, gulping, but his arrogance still present.
The two approached the podium, climbing up the stairs to the treaty. The diplomat placed his finger on the piece of paper, finding the lines he needed to read, before starting.
"By decree of the Imperial Court of Bwovn, and the Royal Court of Hyakuthen, it is hear-by declared that any and all kalzraaks inside the borders of the Iron Gates Kingdom, would receive citizenship and would be included in..."
Outside the walls of the city, Zephyr scouted the area, trying to find a way to get inside. He continued looking around, but to no avail, as the massive, dark walls of the city towered over everything else. Besides the risk of being seen by a soldier from within the walls and the sheer height of the structure, the top was also at a sharp angle, tilted towards the ground, with poisoned spikes on the bottom, making it nearly impossible to climb over to get inside the city.
Right when he thought that all hope was lost, a small crack in the wall appeared, hidden by plants and bushes. Zephyr quickly got through them, entering the passage. For a bit, he couldn't see anything inside. He felt his way through, climbing over some stones and dirt. To his surprise, everything seemed really cold to the touch. Every stone, the dirt... There were even signs of ice on some surfaces.
After a bit, the path forward was blocked, making Zephyr climb through a small passage. But not after long, he finally made it to the top of the climb, reaching another small path forward, through the last part of the wall, at the end of which there was light. Walking forward, he finally made it to the other side, into the city.
But as he looked around, his expression darkened. Everything around was frozen. The buildings, the road, the people... That whole residential area of the city was completely frozen. Blocks of ice were blocking roads, ice shards were growing through three story buildings... Aside from a few frozen people, the whole area seemed to be completely abandoned. There was no life around, no sounds, just pure silence.
Zephyr stood frozen in place for a bit, taking in the sight. But before long, he started to move again, towards the center of the center of the city, and towards Ililith.
He continued his way through the frozen landscape, looking around for any signs of life. He continued through the roads, but then, he stopped. In front of him, at the end of the road, at the top of a building, a person stood… A girl in white. She held Vella in front of her, with a knife made of ice held at her throat. Vella's wings were completely frozen, unable to move in the slightest.
The girl's hood was down. She had pure white hair, flowing down to her shoulders. Her eyes were of a blue so light that could be mistaken for white. But there was also a small, blue circle in the middle of her iris. She looked straight at Zephyr, the wind blowing through her white cloak, which was the same as Rash'aa's. She was from New Heaven...
The girl opened her mouth.
"Who are you?"